Will this cause a cycle?

[smitty]

I have a 29 gal Bio Cube that has been up for 3 yrs. I want to drill the back for bulkheads & add a sump (I don't want to do a HOB) here's my thoughts. Take the 3 fish, 1 shrimp & some rock & put in my Q/T tank. Put the remaining rock & coral in buckets with a heater & powerhead, drain the water level down to an inch or so above the sand so it's easier to move the tank around, then duct tape some plastic to the middle chamber walls to catch any glass shards from drilling(in case your not familiar with a BC, the rear chambers are separate from the sand area so there's not a worry of glass getting in the sand from drilling). Drill for the bulkheads, refill with the water from the Q/T, re aquascape & add critters back. I'd like to take the sand out to drill but I'm afraid that will cause a cycle.
Any thoughts or ideas?

 

[Sasquatch]

should be fine, disturbing the sand bed is trouble in the making, if you have a piece of acrylic lying around drill it for the bulkhead just in case you crack the back, also not a bad thing to use anyway as some insurance

 

[mojoreef]

Sounds good, but I would take the sand out also. take the top inch out and put it into one of the containers with the rock and so on (make sure you dont go to deep, it might be less then an inch you should take) I would then take the balance of the sand and wash it really good. You will loose the anaeobic zone in the sand but that should come back really easy. When you leave just a little water you dont have the ability to control the temp or any water flow over and in it. That way you dont have to stress the tank by having the water and sand in it to.

just a thought

Mike

 

[smitty]

Mike, The sand bed is only about 1" deep so there would only be about maybe 2" of water in a 29 gal Bio Cube. I'm planning on leaving it on the stand & just moving the stand around to get to the back of it & hopefully it will only be an hour or less? Mike